Don't Wanna Let You Go
by stars light up for you
Summary: I don't wanna lose you, don't wanna let you go. nejiten
1. Author's note

Author's note – July 3rd, 2009

It's been a long time since I've been writing fanfics. After a year or so of growing, I realize my previous works were pretty inadequate. So, I decided to rewrite this Nejiten fanfic. It's slightly different, because I've re-plotted it so it would be of higher quality. Please review if you think I should just keep the old chapter or start a whole different story with this one.


	2. Chapter 1

**Don't Wanna Let You Go**

**Chapter 1**

hopefully it's better than before :]

* * *

_**Swoosh, swoosh.**_

A flash of pink sprung around the village of Konoha. A subtle hint of Chinese jasmine caught in the wind as it passed. Various pedestrians turned their heads to wonder what—or who—it was that brought so pleasant a breeze.

"Tenten-chan!" Soon, another—rather youthful—flash of green followed after, "Tenten-chan! Wait!"

The pink flash finally stopped hopping and stood still.

"It really is my youthful blossom, Tenten-chan! Even my youthfulness could not keep up with your pace."

It was Lee. As usual, he was wearing his green training suit that was too tight for Tenten's liking. In fact, she hated it. There was a time when Gai, their teacher, had attempted to make all three of them wear this horrible suit; thank god Lee had adapted to it so well and went on to be Gai's favorite student. Lee crouched forward and put his hands on his knees to keep himself from knocking over. His bold eyebrows twisted in a frown as he tried to catch his breath.

"What is it Lee?" Tenten asked, rather impatient. It was impossible for Lee to have not kept up; surely, he was just kidding; it even sounded like he was making fun of her. She remembered he wore weights in those—also horrible—orange legwarmers. _God, why does he dress and look so stupid? Why can't he just be a little more like…_ Tenten stopped there. She couldn't dare go on to think who she would have said.

"Are you going to the hospital to see Neji-kun?" Tenten's heartbeat started to quicken, and she could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. But she tried to hide it.

"Yes. Are you coming with me?"

"I would love to, but Gai-sensei and I are going on a mission. Can you go on your own?"

"Yeah, I can."She was relieved.

"Okay then! Take care of him." Lee raised a thumbs-up and flashed his sparkling smile.

"LEE!!" A taller man with the same stupid bold eyebrows, same stupid bowl haircut, same stupid tight training suit, and same stupid orange legwarmers as Lee appeared. He flashed the same thumbs-up-plus-sparkling-smile to Tenten.

"Gai-sensei." Tenten greeted in acknowledgement.

"Oh, hello, Tenten!" Gai said, as if he had just noticed her existence.

"GAI-SENSEI!" "LEE!" "GAI-SENSEI!" "LEE!" the two look-alike student and master engaged in a tight embrace, over-dramatically crying for no apparent reason.

Tenten scoffed silently to herself, annoyed, at her teacher's prejudice but shrugged it off immediately. She proceeded—in pink-flash mode—to the hospital.

Tenten frowned.

_Please…be okay, Neji._

--

The nurse was a pleasant looking young woman. She smiled a lot; her long brunette waves softened her pretty face and added another touch of cheerfulness. It can't be easy, Tenten thought, to maintain optimism when you have to watch people die every day. Hence, she respected this nurse, even though she had left one too many buttons open.

"Hi, how are you? Is there anything I can help you with?" The nurse asked, revealing a set of straight, white teeth.

Tenten smiled back, not exactly forcefully, because this nurse's smile made people want to smile as well, "Yes, may I ask which room Hyuuga Neji is in?"

"Ah, are you visiting?"

"Yeah." Tenten replied. The nurse smiled again, this time it seemed more genuine.

"Come with me."

Tenten followed her down the sterilizer-smelling hospital hall.

They stopped at one of the doors."He's in there. Are you his girlfriend?" the nurse asked. Tenten could tell she was merely asking, not implying or hinting at anything else at all. But she wasn't sure if she could trust this nurse.

"No…" It was the truth, but even so Tenten couldn't look the woman in the eye. She couldn't find a suitable direction or thing to stare at, so she looked at the floor.

"Oh, I see, but you wanna be." The nurse raised her eyebrows, but in a nice way.

"Um… It's not really like that…" Tenten could definitely feel her cheeks going hot again.

"You don't have to explain," the nurse grinned, "It's so obvious. Well, he _is_ pretty hot, you guys would look cute together. Well good luck." Then she left, leaving a red-faced Tenten speechless.

_Is it really __that__ obvious?_

Tenten looked into Neji's hospital room through the narrow window on the door. He appeared to be sleeping, wrapped in all those bandages. Tenten's heart sank a little—this time his wounds seemed a lot more severe than usual.

"Hello, Tenten." Tenten turned around at the mention of her name. It was Tsunade, the big-breasted Hokage.

"Tsunade-sama." Tenten bowed in respect. Tsunade nodded.

"How is he…" Tenten asked

"He's going to be okay, but this time he was hurt bad. He had two holes screwed through is body by arrows. One had almost hit a fatal point but fortunately he had been able to somewhat dodge that. When we found him, he was close to dying. Thank God, Shizune and some other medic nin were able to heal him in time by using and multiplying DNA cells from his hair to fill up the gaps. It might take him a while to fully recover, but for now, he's fine."

Tenten widened her eyes. When Tsunade said he had 2 arrows driven through his body, Tenten felt as if they pierced through her instead.

"Don't worry; he'll be able to leave in a few days." Tsunade assured, "You can go in and see him, but I think he's asleep. I have to go."

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." Tenten nodded graciously and pushed the door open.

_It's okay if he's sleeping, I can just watch him_

She stared at the sleeping Neji. He seemed so serene, never tossing or turning as he slept. She watched the rise and fall of his belly as he breathed, so evenly and peaceful. She counted the band-aids stuck to his face as a result of minor cuts. She traced his features with her eyes. He was so familiar to her, yet at the same time, so distant and strange.

This was the Neji she had known since they were five; the Neji who always said few words, no more than necessary; the Neji that had hatred soaked so deep within him; the Neji she'd graduated Ninja Academy with; the Neji she had gone with on their first mission; the Neji who seemed as cold as stone but really, he had a soft side that only Tenten could see; the Neji who does things quietly, so quiet you didn't know in time to give him credit. She liked that about him. She liked how she knew things that he himself may not have known. She liked how she could see things in him that others could not see. She liked the way he wore his long silky hair. She liked the way his eyes had a hint of gentleness inside all that emotionless cold. She liked how he was mysterious and how she's never quite sure about him. There were too many things she liked about him.

Tenten reached for Neji's hand and felt the warmth of his palm on her cheek. He didn't stir. She then laced her fingers in his and held it. She remained like that for a few hours until she drifted to sleep in a daze.

_I could stay like this forever, just here with him forever._


End file.
